One of my favorite events is coming to Columbus next week July 13-17,  Restaurant Week Columbus.  Columbus and Central Ohio has a quite a variety of wonderful restaurants and this is a great opportunity to try a new restaurant or one of your favorites at a discounted price, while benefiting the Mid Ohio Food Bank at the same time!  Many of my favorite restaurants are participating in this special event, offering three course meals from $15-35 per person.

This event is so popular, they recommend reservations because many restaurants may quickly book up. This is a great week to experience places you’ve been meaning to try. Plus, you’ll be supporting the local restaurant industry and the Mid-Ohio Food Bank which will receive a $5,000 donation on behalf of participating restaurants and (614) Magazine.

I’m excited because many of my favorite restaurants are participating in this event.  Here’s list of restaurants participating in Restaurant Week Columbus:

Spagio - Italian Restaurant in Grandview
The Rossi - Bar and Kitchen in the Short North Arts District
Trattoria Roma - Italian Restaurant in Grandview
Cimi’s Bistro - at the Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City
The Lost Shepherd - Divine Pub in Powell Ohio
Vittoria Ristorante - Italian Restaurant in Powell Ohio
Level - Modern American Restaurant in the Short North Arts District
Haiku - Japanese Restaurant in Short North Arts District
Sage American Bistro - Upscape Contemporary American Food on the Ohio State University Campus
The Melting Post - Fondue Restaurant at Easton Town Center
Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse - at Easton Town Center
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Worthington Ohio
Rosendales Modern Bistro - Upscale Restaurant in Short North Arts District
Mortons Steakhouse in Downtown Columbus
Moretti’s of Arlington - Family Owned Italian Restaurant in Upper Arlington
Mitchell’s Steakhouse - in Worthington and Downtown Columbus
Mezzo Italian Kitchen and Wine - Italian Restaurant at Creekside in Gahanna
Matt The Millers Tavern - in Muirfield - Dublin Ohio
Lindeys - Upscale Restaurant in German Village
Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse in the Short North Arts District, Dublin, Worthington and North Columbus
Columbus Fish Market - Seafood Restaurant in North Columbus and Worthington Ohio
Columbus Brewing Company in German Village
Bel Lago Waterfront Bistro (Beautiful outdoor dining on the Hoover Resevoir in Westerville Ohio)

I hope you take the opportunity to try one of these wonderful restaurants during Restaurant Week Columbus and support our local restaurants and the Mid Ohio Food Bank.  To learn more and view the specially priced menus visit:  http://www.restaurantweekcolumbus.com/

I was out showing homes in the Gahanna yesterday and found some really great deals on Gahanna Ohio Real estate.  I have a client relocating to the Columbus Ohio area from Chicago suburbia and they are looking for a newer home with upscale finishes, on a larger lot.  I showed them homes in the Jefferson Township area, which is technically Blacklick Ohio 43004 -  but it’s in the Gahanna Schools District.

Jefferson Township in Blacklick Ohio is a very desirable area to live for many reasons:

• Highly rated Gahanna Schools
• Easton Town Center - shoppers paradise is within 10 minutes
• Port Columbus International Airport is about 15 minutes away
• Convenient freeway access to I-270 and I-670
• Jefferson Country Club offers golfing, swim, tennis and fitness facilities
• Prestigious Columbus Academy K-12 private school nearby

The Jefferson Township area in Blacklick Ohio, offers city conveniences in a country atmosphere.  Jefferson Township is located in Blacklick Ohio, on the Eastern edge of Franklin County in the Gahanna Schools District.  There are some beautiful upscale neighborhoods in Jefferson Township, that offer all the amenities of a typical suburb development, but with larger lots, in a more rural setting.  You’ll find a variety of homes and estates on acreage including horse and llama farms.

Some of the neighborhoods in the Jefferson Township area with Gahanna Schools, that I showed homes in today include:  Jefferson Meadows, Woods at Havens Run, Stepping Stone and the Village at Hannah Farms.

Jefferson Meadows is a beautiful golf course community with a variety of unique, custom built homes ranging in price from around $340,000 to over $1 Million.  You’ll even find some homes that look like mini castles!  New homes construction in Jefferson meadows started in the early 1990’s and is mostly complete,  but a few lots remain with some new homes currently being built.   The Villas at Jefferson Meadows offers newer and spacious upscale condos built around 2000, ranging in price from $250,000 to  around $400,000.   Jefferson Village is a gated community, within the Jefferson Meadows subdivision, offering upscale detached condos built around 2001 to the present with prices ranging from around $350,000 to over $400,000.

Stepping Stone is a very unique Equestrian community nestled in the rolling hillside of Jefferson Township.  This unique community features an equestrian Center to board your horse, miles of bridle paths winding through woods and beautiful heavily treed lots.  Stepping Stone offers a variety of custom built homes including some with French Country style architecture and finishes, walk out basements and waterfront lots. Homes range in price from around $450,000 to well over $500,000.   Homes in Stepping Stone started being built in the late 1990’s and while it is considered an established community, there are still some undeveloped lots available.

The Village at Hannah Farms is a beautiful extensively landscaped new home development in Gahanna Ohio.  Hannah Farms is situated among mature trees and a 31 acre park with up to 60 custom homes being built on larger lots.  Hannah Farms offers plenty of open space with two wetland reserve areas and a leisure path that connects to  Hannah Farms Park.  The Village at Hannah Farms was the site of the 2008 Columbus Ohio Parade of Homes, presented by the Central Ohio BIA (Builders Industry Association), with new home construction starting in 2008.

While the economy has definitely slowed down the rate of new homes being built in Hannah Farms, this community is still pretty well established.  There are still plenty of lots to build on, including some premium treed lots.  Being a Parade of Homes community, the prices really vary in the Village at Hannah Farms.  Homes currently available, range in price from around $400,000 to almost $600,000.  Talk about a great deal  . . . . there’s a home that was originally listed for $638,000 and just sold in January of 2009 for $515,000!  We saw new build inventory spec homes discounted by $70,000 - $80,000.  While this much of a discount isn’t the norm, there are plenty of new build spec or inventory homes offering deep discounts.  Builders are very motivated to sell their homes right now, so if you’re looking for a new build, this is a great time to take advantage of the bargain prices.

The Village at Hannah Farms is located within the Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools System.  The current assigned district schools are listed below:

High Point Elementary: 700 Venetian Way, Gahanna, OH            614-478-5545
Gahanna Middle School East: 730 Clotts Road, Gahanna, OH      614-478-5550
Gahanna Lincoln High School: 140 S. Hamilton Road, Gahanna, OH      614-478-5500

While Jefferson Township and Gahanna is a a very desirable area to live, there are less buyers looking to buy upscale homes in Central Ohio these days.  Consequently, prices have declined greatly.  One of my clients favorite homes was priced just under $500,000, but the sellers originally paid $673,000 in 2006.  That’s almost $200,000 in value lost.  There are several new build inventory homes discounted by more than $50,000.  While this much of a decline isn’t necessarily the norm - it just shows that there are definitely some really good deals to take advantage of right now.  It seems the newer built homes have been the hardest hit with declining values.

The Woods at Havens Run is a luxury new home community in Blacklick Ohio with Gahanna Schools, being developed by Romanelli and Hughes and Truberrry Group Custom Home Builders.  Both Romanelli and Hughes and Truberry Group Home Builders have been in the Columbus new home construction business for many years and have developed an excellent reputation for quality built homes.  Woods at Haven’s Run contains 28 large lots surrounded by nature and provides the perfect setting for single family homes.  Currently there are only a handful of homes built so there are still plenty of great lots to buid on, some backing to woods and mature trees.  We saw three new build inventory spec homes, including 2 model homes for sale, with prices ranging from around $550,000 to just under $600,000.  The builder seems to be very motivated to sell these homes and has aggressively reduced the prices down from $630,000.

As a Realtor® with Remax Connection Realtors in Gahanna, I have sold many homes and condos in the Gahanna area over the years.  So I am quite familiar with the Gahanna real estate market and prices homes are selling for in Gahanna and Blacklick.  My office is located in Olde Gahanna at 130 Mill Street, 43230.

If you are interested in buying or building a home or condo in the Gahanna area, please CONTACT PETRA at 614-895-0496 to get started.  As an Accredited Buyer’s Agent, I have the experience the represent your best interest and negotiate the best deal ALL AT NO COST TO YOU.

To learn more about Gahanna Real Estate, schools and community info visit:  ColumbusCastles.com/Gahanna Real Estate